Various data accessing systems are known in the art in which users can retrieve requested data from a central data storage location through telephone lines. Conventionally, subscribers to such systems are required to have either a personal computer (PC) or a so-called "smart terminal" in order to receive data from the central data location. A smart terminal usually consists of a keyboard and a display device containing a microprocessor for providing local control of the operation of the terminal.
Also generally known is the use of a conventional dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) telephone to communicate with a remote database computer in which a user utilizes the alpha-numeric keys of the telephone to communicate a request to the database which then provides an audible response to the telephone receiver as voice information.
While currently available database accessing systems allow a restricted amount of information to be communicated to a user through a conventional telephone and allow subscribers with relatively sophisticated and expensive equipment to gain access to larger databases at considerable cost, the prior art has failed to address the communication needs of individuals to acquire automatic and quick user selective forms of textual and/or graphic image data from an unattended database location, without the necessity of relatively expensive and sophisticated terminal equipment.